[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast…
[00:00:03] Matt Sims: We unpack how to prepare your motorhome post winter storage.
[00:00:07] Keith Gooden: And we answer your questions about air suspension pricing, emissions stickers for Germany, and if gas free motorhomes are worth it. Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast! I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:00:27] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:00:28] Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans. It’s brought to you by That Leisure Shop and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:00:38] Matt Sims: Do remember to follow on your favourite podcast app, or if you’re watching on YouTube, make sure you click subscribe and that little bell. This episode is sponsored by Ripe – the people who make motorhome and campervan insurance flexible, simple and hassle-free.
[00:00:54] Keith Gooden: If you’ve ever felt bogged down by insurance, paperwork or endless phone calls, Ripe is a breath of fresh air. You can get a quote online in just minutes.
[00:01:04] Matt Sims: Yep, it’s super quick. And the best part? You can build a policy that’s tailored to you. Only pay for the cover you actually need.
[00:01:12] Keith Gooden: And if you’re one of those people who’ve spent hours perfecting your van, they cover DIY conversions as well. And that’s not something every insurer offers.
[00:01:21] Matt Sims: Exactly. Plus, their European cover is fantastic. Up to 90 days on a single trip or 180 days across the year. Perfect for longer adventures.
[00:01:31] Keith Gooden: And we have a very special discount that gets you 15% off your insurance premium.
[00:01:38] Matt Sims: When you call, use the code Motorhome Matt or simply head to mhmp.info/ripe, where the discount is automatically applied.
[00:01:51] Keith Gooden: So this week we’re getting ready for the season ahead. Well, getting our motorhome ready anyway. Just start up and go?
[00:01:58] Matt Sims: No. Sadly not! There’s a whole load of checks I think you should do before you make that first trip. And we’re going to list them for you. This guide is available to download from www.thatleisureshop.com. I’ve printed off my PowerPoint presentation that I recently gave at a show where I ran through this, so we can talk through this together. Keith, rather than bore you with a long list, let’s just talk through it, and then we’ll give you the address of where you can go to get your free copy. So the first thing to do before you start your engine is to check all your fluid levels.
[00:02:30] Keith Gooden: Oh, yes.
[00:02:32] Matt Sims: So open the bonnet and make sure you check the oil! Check the power steering. Check the screenwash. That’s an easy one to forget. Check the brake fluid level, power steering levels. Just check them all. And if you’re not sure what to put in them, go to a garage. I’m sure they’ll happily top them up for you often for free.
[00:02:49] Keith Gooden: Yeah, because some liquids are DOT 4.
[00:02:53] Matt Sims: That’s right. So make sure you fill the right one with the right stuff and then check your battery connections. Why? Well, they can come loose. So when did you check your last check your battery connections?
[00:03:03] Keith Gooden: I can’t think of a time I did check my battery connections.
[00:03:06] Matt Sims: So check the starter battery. And also check the leisure battery. Just check they’re good and tight. It may be worth greasing them up as well. Helps keep the connections really clean and stops corrosion on them. But check they are tight. The reason is that if they get loose, that can cause arcing and can cause excessive battery drain, as well as the risk of a remote risk of a fire. So it’s definitely worth checking them.
[00:03:28] Keith Gooden: And check under the bonnet as well for wildlife!
[00:03:30] Matt Sims: For wildlife! Mice, particularly. The number of times that our workshops have changed an air filter and it’s become the home to a family of mice – probably 10 or 20 times over the last few years. Mice love it, so do check if you know how to get your air filter housing apart. Just have a look at the air filter and see if mice have made a home in it. They might still be in there. You never know, and they are really prone to getting into a motorhome engine bay. They also love getting into the living area via the seat belt base, the mount, so check the bottoms of your seat belts to see if they’ve been chewed.
[00:04:07] Keith Gooden: Many podcasts ago you told me that if you look at a pencil, a mouse can get in a hole of that width – of a pencil.
[00:04:15] Matt Sims: Yeah, a few millimetres. So we’ve got mice at home. We’ve had a pest control guy round to help us try and manage the mice in the house. And we’ve got rats in the garden. It’s that time of year. They’re just looking for somewhere warm to live. And we tend to catch them in humane traps. And then I release them a few miles away, where there’s a neighbour we don’t like! No, I don’t, but we do release them a few miles away. But he’s insistent on killing them because he sees them as vermin, which really upsets Mrs Motorhome Matt. But we have got various types of traps or poison laid at the minute, and I looked the other day and all the poison had gone. So that, he says, is a good sign. Not such good news for the mouse.
[00:04:57] Keith Gooden: So you start up your motorhome. Allow it to warm up. But haven’t you been doing that every couple of weeks all winter?
[00:05:02] Matt Sims: Well, hopefully you have, just to keep the battery charged up. But it’s always important, I say, to let it warm up. Let the engine warm up as best it can for ten 15 minutes. Get the fluids running around the engine bay. It’s not going to properly warm up until you drive it and you start revving it up. But before you drive it, it’s really important you check all the tyres. I have this great phrase about making a pact with your tyres. PACT – check the Pressure, the Age, the Condition and the Torque of the nuts. So you can check your nut torques!
[00:05:33] Keith Gooden: I’m not going to say anything.
[00:05:34] Matt Sims: I knew you’d like that one. So checking the pressure – obviously. Where do you get the right pressure? You can get that from the tyre manufacturer. You need to know what your motorhome weighs. That’s a whole podcast in itself. The condition – you’re checking for cracks on the sidewalls, both in and out and in between the tread, looking for cracks there. And the age – we’ve talked about this before. There’s a little pill on the side wall of the tyre that has four numbers, maybe 4012, for example. And that means that tyre was made in week 40 of 2012. And the guideline for tyre age is five years use or seven years fitted.
[00:06:08] Keith Gooden: So that 2012 is well out of date.
[00:06:10] Matt Sims: Out of date. Yeah. This is a guideline endorsed by the tyre manufacturing industry.
[00:06:16] Keith Gooden: Who sell tyres!
[00:06:17] Matt Sims: So yeah, the cynics among you would just say, oh, that’s so they can sell more tyres.
[00:06:21] Keith Gooden: But if you’ve seen those blow-outs on the motorway, you know that wreckage by the side of the motorway of blown out tyres, you don’t want to be one of them, do you?
[00:06:28] Matt Sims: And this will be coming, I’m sure, from real-world experience of tyres blowing out, ripping, treads coming off. So my advice is consider that. If your tyres look in really good condition, there’s no bulges, there’s no fading on the sidewall, they’ve not lightened with UV damage, then running them a bit longer – you may choose to do so. Many of us are, for sure, but that’s the guideline. And then of course it’s T for torque. So just check the wheel nuts. If you’ve got a torque wrench, that’s ideal. If you’re not sure or you’re worried, take it to a tyre fitter, and they will happily check the wheel nut torques.
[00:07:04] Keith Gooden: They don’t overtighten them.
[00:07:05] Matt Sims: No. I do know someone who was driving out of the storage site, and their front wheels had been undone maliciously. They heard all this knocking and thought there was something not right. Half the wheel nuts were missing and the others were all finger tight! And it was obviously done as some prank. I don’t know, pretty awful thing to do. So check them – and actually check them through the year as well. It takes seconds to do. It really takes no time at all. Then fire your wiper blades up. Just give the windscreen a squirt, get the wiper blades going, check they’re all good. And check all the lights as well. You’ll need someone else to help you with this, particularly with the brake lights, unless you’re parked up against a wall. But just check the dipped main beam, side lights, fog light, and reversing light.
[00:07:48] Keith Gooden: Brake lights.
[00:07:48] Matt Sims: All of them. Just check they’re all working and then you know you’re not going to have any issues. And then we want to go to the living area before we’re driving it, so the engine is still running. We’re letting it warm up. We want to uncover all our vents. Now, some people do cover up their vents to stop spiders getting in. That’s a good idea. You may have fitted the fridge vents, which are designed to be used during the winter. You could leave those on if you’re going to be motorhoming and using the fridge when it’s particularly cold. That’s what these fridge vents are for. They are for winter use, so the fridge is not pulling in too much cold air. And then check all your roof lights as well. Open the roof lights, check they’re all working. Check they’re still there! We had a massive storm last night, didn’t we? Just before we recorded this. It woke me up. Just check one of your roof lights has not actually blown open or blown off!
[00:08:36] Keith Gooden: So when you say roof light, it’s not a light exactly.
[00:08:38] Matt Sims: This is the window in the roof. Yeah. So we call them roof lights. But yeah. Roof window, roof vent. Check they’re actually there. The number of times I’ve spoken to people who are trying to buy one because it’s just disappeared. And by this point it’s kind of ready to take for a drive. But I would consider, as well, at this point in the year before you use it, giving it a really good roof down wash, getting any tree sap off of it, bird lime or bird muck and just treating it to a wash.
[00:09:05] Keith Gooden: Yeah, I noticed the first time this morning – you know, we’re recording this in January, the stormy season – the first rook poo on my car. So things like that!
[00:09:16] Matt Sims: How did you know it was a rook?
[00:09:16] Keith Gooden: I’ve got a couple of rookeries around by me, you know, and my poo identification skills have been honed over the years. It’s horrible stuff. They start to roost early. So don’t think, oh, it doesn’t matter. The birds aren’t here. They’re not nesting yet. Believe me.
[00:09:34] Matt Sims: Gulls are the other one round by us.
[00:09:35] Keith Gooden: Oh, what do they eat?!
[00:09:37] Matt Sims: Yeah, that’s a very good question. What do they eat? It’s the colours!
[00:09:44] Keith Gooden: Oh…
[00:09:44] Matt Sims: We had a huge one the other day. It was a giant green phlegmy thing.
[00:09:48] Keith Gooden: Thank you. That’s fine. Right. And then you give it a good airing.
[00:09:53] Matt Sims: Yeah. Get those roof lights and windows open. Give everything a really good air. There’s a risk that you’ve got some bacteria hanging around and mould forming, so airing it out will help get rid of that. If you do find you’ve got mould – I got into my car that had been standing for a few months, because I’ve obviously not been driving as I’ve been off recovering from surgery. And do you know what? There was so much mould over the steering wheel and the gear stick. It was disgusting.
[00:10:18] Keith Gooden: Not nice, is it?
[00:10:19] Matt Sims: No, it was green and really fluffy. You either get that kind of mould or you get little black specks. It’s really common. Don’t panic about it at all. It’s just all the surfaces you’ve come into contact with, and the mould just forms on that bacteria. I’m sure there’s a more scientific way of explaining.
[00:10:34] Keith Gooden: That’s what it is.
[00:10:35] Matt Sims: Spores. If you suffer from asthma… it can affect me. But there’s a supermarket that sells a green coloured spray called Mould Killer. And you spray it on, just wipe it off. It’s brilliant. You do end up driving around in what smells like a swimming pool.
[00:10:48] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Another good tip if you don’t want to go for anything branded is white vinegar.
[00:10:53] Matt Sims: White vinegar is brilliant.
[00:10:54] Keith Gooden: Yeah, it is brilliant.
[00:10:54] Matt Sims: But then you smell like a chip shop!
[00:10:55] Keith Gooden: You do! Yeah.
[00:10:56] Matt Sims: Either way, you’re going to smell of something. But it does treat it and kill it. There are chemicals…
[00:11:01] Keith Gooden: Don’t use bleach.
[00:11:02] Matt Sims: Don’t ever use bleach!
[00:11:03] Keith Gooden: That is too powerful.
[00:11:04] Matt Sims: Valetors will use something that doesn’t smell. It’s called G101 and they dilute it. And it’s quite acidic and it’s quite aggressive. But that treats mould really well.
[00:11:15] Keith Gooden: Never use bleach. Never.
[00:11:16] Matt Sims: No, don’t use bleach. You’ll be staining all the fabrics and leathers and ruining it. So get all those windows and vents open. And while you’re doing that, check the rubber seals. Most of the windows and vents close onto a rubber seal. It’s really worth spraying them with silicone. Or just get some Vaseline and wipe it around the seals, because that will stop the rubber seal sticking to the window as the air dries out and it warms up. And then it can be really difficult to open a roof light, and you’re battling with a rubber seal that’s stuck to the window. And worse then is it rips it or peels it off. So a little bit of Vaseline or silicone will help stop that happening. I’m very good at turning our mattress and cushions during the winter just to get the air moving around them, but I would suggest just doing it again and just checking them for mould. And if you have got mould on them, you’re going to need to look at a fabric spray that will kill that mould. This mould spray does do the job. I was told this by a static caravan site owner and they said every spring, early spring, they have a massive problem with mouldy curtains and mouldy mattresses. I’m not sure I want to stay in a static caravan ever again. And he said, we buy this stuff by the box, and we go around and spray them all and vent them all out to get rid of the chlorine smell. And he said it works a treat, and it then stops mould forming for months on end. But then they’ve got people in them. The heating’s on, the windows are ope,n and they’re being used, and the air is moving about, so the mould doesn’t come back until the following winter. So they swear by this stuff. Remember to open all the cupboards as well. Check the cupboards in case mice have been in there. Hopefully, you took all the food out that would tempt them in. But just check what’s in the cupboards. Give them a wipe round again, looking for mould and just a way of giving it a good clean before your first use. And do the same with the garage as well. It’s very easy just to ignore the garage.
[00:13:09] Keith Gooden: The garage in the motorhome. Not the one in your house!
[00:13:12] Matt Sims: Clean that out as well if you want! All the lockers, in fact – just go round them and empty them out and look at what’s in them. Do you really need to carry those four barbecues around with you, those disposable barbecues or whatever it is you’ve been carrying around? I’ve told this story before, but we sold an American RV years ago, and I emptied the lockers out. There were four house bricks in one of the lockers, and I was like, why on earth are we carrying house bricks around? And we’ve been putting them on the grass for the disposable barbecue so we didn’t damage the grass.
[00:13:44] Keith Gooden: Didn’t burn the grass.
[00:13:45] Matt Sims: But rather than just take one, we just kept taking one every trip. And we’d had a driveway later. We had loads of spare bricks! So every trip, we just grabbed another brick.
[00:13:54] Keith Gooden: So what about your bed bases?
[00:13:56] Matt Sims: So I would lift the mattresses, and if the bed base lifts up, do that and just give it a wipe underneath. It’s all about trying to clean and prep everything before you use it.
[00:14:04] Keith Gooden: So to overwinter, you’ve opened your water drain taps, have you? Or you should have done.
[00:14:09] Matt Sims: Hopefully you’ve drained all the water out of it. We’ve had some cold snaps recently, and if you don’t do so, that causes a load of problems. But in terms of getting the motorhome ready, make sure you’ve made a note ideally of where all those drain taps are. When we’re prepping motorhomes for our storage customers, we have a sheet where we note every drain tap we’ve opened because some of them are in really innocuous places and are very easy to miss. And you don’t want to be that first trip where water is just pouring out the bottom because you’ve forgotten to close one of the drain taps. Many motorhomes have a frost valve, maybe an auto one. Make sure that that’s closed. And then various drain taps at the lowest points of the water system to make sure the water comes out. Same on the fresh tank and the waste tank. The fresh tank, certainly you want to make sure that fresh tap is closed. Otherwise you’ll never fill it up. Really important. And then whilst talking about water, I would highly recommend you consider treating the water system at this point in the year. If you only do it once a year, this is the time to do so. When we come back to our motorhome after, you know, a month of non-use – and we do tend to use ours a lot all through the year – you get these little black flakes forming in the bottom of the tank, and they’re very visible when you flush the loo. Our flush is fed by the fresh water tank. And because the loo is white, they really show up again.
[00:15:29] Keith Gooden: Is this bacteria?
[00:15:30] Matt Sims: It’s bacteria. Yes. A form of mould is forming in the water pipes. And of course we’re going to drink that water. Maybe you choose not to, but we do. And it’s not harmful. But it’s definitely not very pleasant.
[00:15:41] Keith Gooden: Rather not have it there.
[00:15:42] Matt Sims: Absolutely. So there are lots of ways of treating the water system. I have been using the Solbio water fresh water tank cleaner. It’s a single-use product and it’s brilliant. It’s really good. It’s completely environmentally friendly. You do use a lot of water when you’re cleaning the system, but you put it in the full tank. Run that water through the taps, through the shower, through the flush, and you can literally watch these black bits firing out through the system. And then you fill the water tank again and flush that through. Then it’s all ready to go. It actually contains a form of hydrogen peroxide, which of course is what dentists use in our mouths. So it’s harmless to us, but they’ve managed to stabilise it with a secret ingredient, and it’s highly effective. It’s really good. Never, ever use Milton in the fresh water. I know we use it for baby bottles, but it causes the heater element to rot away. It’s damaging to the heater element, so Truma and Alde highly recommend you don’t use Milton for that reason.
[00:16:41] Keith Gooden: Right. And what about your waste tanks then?
[00:16:43] Matt Sims: So at this point you could treat the waste tanks because they can smell there’s lots of waste tank cleaner type products. My advice is don’t use Coke or something of other, you know, some other fizzy drink.
[00:16:56] Keith Gooden: Or Pepsi?
[00:16:58] Matt Sims: Any cola.
[00:16:59] Keith Gooden: Don’t use cola.
[00:17:00] Matt Sims: Or lemonade for that matter.
[00:17:01] Keith Gooden: Not because there’s anything wrong with them. They’re good drinks. Just don’t use them in your mouth.
[00:17:05] Matt Sims: Are they good drinks? Anyway, you love them. The problem is you’re putting a form of sugar into the waste tank, which is going to attract bacteria.
[00:17:15] Keith Gooden: You’re giving food for mould to grow, aren’t you?
[00:17:17] Matt Sims: That’s right. And it may not be real sugar, especially if you’ve used Coke Zero, but you’ve got other forms of glucose going in the tank. And that is not a good idea. I’ve been using the Solbio toilet treatment. I’m a big fan of Solbio, as you know, if you listen to the podcast. We use it in our toilet cassette. But you can also pour it down all the waste traps. So I close the waste tap, pour a little piece down each, you know, 20 or 30 mil down each sink trap, including the shower, and then run a load of water into the waste tank and leave it. Drive it around, leave it for a few days, and then open the waste tap and drain it out and it will give it a good clean.
[00:17:54] Keith Gooden: Right, now we are into the business end. Your toilet! How do you prepare your toilet?
[00:18:00] Matt Sims: So we take our toilet cassette out of the van.
[00:18:04] Keith Gooden: We?
[00:18:06] Matt Sims: I take my toilet cassette out of the van during the winter to stop it freezing and to stop any problem with the mechanism from frost damage. So make sure you put the cassette back in, but give it a jolly good clean at the start of the season. As I say, we use Solbio, and the inside of our toilet cassette is like brand new. You’d never know it had been used. It’s so clean because Solbio does such a good job. So treat it, prep it, and get it ready. Really important you keep on top of that.
[00:18:34] Keith Gooden: Flush your toilet as well.
[00:18:35] Matt Sims: Yeah, yeah. Give it a good flush. You would have done this when you’re flushing and cleaning the water system through. And you’ll see these little black bits coming out.
[00:18:43] Keith Gooden: Right. And now’s the time to inspect the pipes for leaks. You know, look at them. Don’t wait for the leak to appear somewhere.
[00:18:50] Matt Sims: So the risk is, if you’ve left water in the van in the winter, then one of the pipes could crack.
[00:18:55] Keith Gooden: It’s because if it freezes, water expands, right?
[00:18:58] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:18:58] Keith Gooden: Cracks the pipe.
[00:18:58] Matt Sims: Which is why you always leave the taps open. I always recommend leaving the shower head hanging down so you’ve got gravity on your side, and put all the taps open in the middle position through the winter. And at this point, you want to be checking the plumbing, checking all the push fit connectors to see none of them are popped apart, which frost can easily do. So check there are no leaks.
[00:19:18] Keith Gooden: And run your taps.
[00:19:19] Matt Sims: Run them, which you would have done when you were cleaning the system.
[00:19:22] Keith Gooden: What about your utilities, then?
[00:19:24] Matt Sims: So I would have suggested taking all the batteries out of the van. These are things like clock batteries, carbon monoxide, smoke alarms. Take those batteries out for the winter and then put brand-new ones in for the spring. Then test them. I know the beep is really annoying, but I hear alarms going off, smoke alarms or CO alarms going off in our storage yard. I make a point of ringing the owner and telling them you’ve got a battery going flat in your caravan, because my worry is when they come back in March to use it, it’s not making a noise anymore because the battery’s flat.
[00:20:01] Keith Gooden: It’s not working.
[00:20:02] Matt Sims: It’s not working. It’s not functioning at all. So I tell them, you need to put a new battery in your car alarm. And they’re always grateful for that. So do check them. They are a lifesaver – particularly carbon monoxide.
[00:20:11] Keith Gooden: They are literally a lifesaver. Yeah. So test your alarm operations. What’s your trips?
[00:20:17] Matt Sims: So if you can, hook the van up and check the mains trip so you know where the trip is. Like the consumer unit. Next to the switch is a button with a T on. It’s normally black. Press that button and when you do, it should trip out. It’s a test button, and that will tell you you’ve got power coming into the van. And it will also tell you that your trip is working and it’s shorting out the system so that it’s proving the trip is protecting you.
[00:20:42] Keith Gooden: So these things are there for your safety. They’re there in case.
[00:20:45] Matt Sims: The T button is there for you to test that trip. It also tests that you’ve got electricity coming into the van. The other thing I would do is get one of our plug testers, a socket tester, and put it into every three-pin socket in the van and just check nothing untoward has happened and an earth has come off, or a neutral has come off.
[00:21:03] Keith Gooden: Or a mouse has chewed through the cable.
[00:21:06] Matt Sims: Well, there you are. That is possible. I’ve seen that many times as well.
[00:21:08] Keith Gooden: Yep. Gas checking as well.
[00:21:10] Matt Sims: So before you really head off on holiday, check your gas system. When you open the gas cupboard, it’s normal to have a slight smell of gas, but you shouldn’t have it in the van. So fire up the heating, get some water in the boiler. Fire up the hot water as well.
[00:21:25] Keith Gooden: But you’ve taken the bottle off at the end of the season.
[00:21:30] Matt Sims: Not necessarily. You could leave it connected, but turned off. I leave ours in the van. We use propane so it doesn’t freeze until it’s way, way below zero. Butane, the blue bottles, will freeze at zero, but that doesn’t. It doesn’t do any harm. It just means that the gas won’t work. It won’t flow. So fire up the gas system. Check the hob. And if there’s anything untoward – a hob flame should be a really lovely blue. If you’ve got long yellow or orange flames, you need to go and get it checked. Possibly just the hob needs cleaning. And there could be cooking oil that has solidified in the hob that is causing that to happen. So get a gas engineer or motorhome engineer to have a look at it for you.
[00:22:08] Keith Gooden: And what about your awning, then?
[00:22:09] Matt Sims: The number of times I’ve wound an awning out and we’re on the campsite pitch and it’s broken. And I’ve either broken it last season and forgotten or something has happened whilst it’s been in storage. So wind it out and get it out. Give it a clean as well. Give it a scrub. Get all that dirt off. It tends to collect on the awning fabric. And just check it’s working. And often the nuts that you undo to lower the legs, they seize up. They’re aluminium and they oxidise, and they can become very brittle. And you don’t want the leg to snap off when you’re on a campsite. Better to do it if it’s going to break in storage where you’ve got time to replace the leg.
[00:22:45] Keith Gooden: But if they have seized, anything you can spray on them?
[00:22:48] Matt Sims: Yeah, a little bit of WD40. That’s a game-changer. WD40 or a silicone spray.
[00:22:53] Keith Gooden: Right. I’ve got you. Your bike rack as well?
[00:22:55] Matt Sims: Do the same with the bike rack. Fold it down, open the arms up. Undo everything. Again, the number of times things have snapped on my first use. And then one of the kids is going without their bikes… very annoying for them. So just check everything before you actually want to come and use it. And do this with time. So if something does go awry, you’ve got time to go off to your local accessory shop and replace the part that’s broken.
[00:23:16] Keith Gooden: I’ve done all this, then I’m covered, and I don’t have to do a habitation check, do I?
[00:23:20] Matt Sims: So that’s a great point. This is a great time of year to do a hab check. It’s a line in the sand where your gas and electricity and all of the motorhome is checked the following day. Something else could change. It is just a point in time where everything is signed off, and they’ll also check for damp. So if you’ve got water ingress that’s come in during the winter, now is a great time to fix it before it becomes a massive problem. So I would suggest getting a habitation check done either by a local mobile guy that will come to you, or take it to your local dealership to get it looked at. I’d always recommend a certified habitation engineer. So somebody certified by the Approved Workshop Scheme, which is part of the National Caravan Council or the MCE. Those are the two main ones. Or if they’re not approved, make your own decision, but check their reviews and see what other people have said about them.
[00:24:15] Keith Gooden: Can’t you do a DIY habitation check?
[00:24:17] Matt Sims: You could, yes, but the reality is the damp meter that the pros use are £700 and they know where to look on every model for damp water ingress. They know the issues to look for. Some engineers will do a what’s called a sniff test, where they’ll put a meter next to the boiler vent and they’re checking for carbon monoxide levels. They’re checking that they’re within the thresholds that are set.
[00:24:41] Keith Gooden: They’re not actually sniffing it themselves. They’re using a device.
[00:24:44] Matt Sims: They’re using a device.
[00:24:45] Keith Gooden: They just don’t come and go… that’ll be £200. Smells all right.
[00:24:49] Matt Sims: There’ll be some that would probably do that!
[00:24:50] Keith Gooden: Yeah.
[00:24:51] Matt Sims: But they’re looking for electrical safety as well. So there’s a whole load of kit they use which is really quite specialist. But doing your own DIY hab check through the year is a really good idea. And if there’s anything you’re unsure of, report it immediately.
[00:25:04] Keith Gooden: And how much would a habitation check cost me?
[00:25:08] Matt Sims: I guess if it’s mobile, probably £120. Maybe there’s mobile guys charging as little as that, or main dealer rates as big as £400. But I would say it’s £200 and something. That’s fairly average.
[00:25:20] Keith Gooden: Check your driving licence. It might have expired, you know.
[00:25:24] Matt Sims: Exactly. And if it goes out of date, you technically have not got a driving licence. Do you know the date yours expires?
[00:25:30] Keith Gooden: I don’t know the date, but I only renewed it about 18 months ago, so I know I’m okay.
[00:25:35] Matt Sims: Yeah. So you’re not too worried at this point in time?
[00:25:38] Keith Gooden: No. My EU driving licence expired, and now I’ve got a UK one.
[00:25:42] Matt Sims: Yep. Okay, so mine expires next year. And I’ve got a reminder in my diary. And I would always do it six months before it runs out.
[00:25:48] Keith Gooden: Yeah. And let me tell you, if you do it through the post office, they take your photo there and then, and I got it two days later. It was incredibly efficient. Yeah, it was brilliant.
[00:25:57] Matt Sims: Yeah. Mrs Motorhome Matt has done hers. Yeah, that took a few days. Easy to do. And there is a cost. I can’t remember what she had to pay.
[00:26:04] Keith Gooden: Yes, it’s £20 or something.
[00:26:07] Matt Sims: I think it’s £20.
[00:26:08] Keith Gooden: It’s not a lot of money, but you have to do it. And particularly if you’re thinking of travelling abroad.
[00:26:12] Matt Sims: Especially if you’re thinking of travelling abroad. But as I say, if it expires, technically you haven’t got a valid driving licence.
[00:26:18] Keith Gooden: Right. And what about your MOT?
[00:26:20] Matt Sims: Check that as well. It’s easy to forget when the MOT is due.
[00:26:22] Keith Gooden: If you haven’t got an MOT, then no matter if you’ve bought insurance, you’re not insured, are you?
[00:26:27] Matt Sims: Absolutely. Yeah. And this is another issue as well with road tax. So we’re going to cover this in the future. The issue where people SORN the vehicle and let the MOT expire.
[00:26:35] Keith Gooden: SORN means…
[00:26:36] Matt Sims: Statutory off road notice, which you can do. The MOT then expires. If it has not been driven, but it’s in storage, are you insured? This is the question that I’ve been posing to a number of insurers, and it’s something we might revisit in the future. My advice is check with your insurance company. Are they still happy to insure you even though you’re not driving it? It could be that they’re not. So if something happens, something fell out of the sky, total loss. You may not be covered. There we are. So do check that before you let the MOT expire. And of course, if you’re heading to Europe, there’s a whole load of stuff. I’ve talked about this before. Preparing for a European motorhome holiday is an episode we’ve done before. And there’s a whole e-book you can download on everything you need to get ready for a European trip. But the obvious thing is to check your UK stickers. UK sticker stickers are out of date now.
[00:27:28] Keith Gooden: Not a motorhome, but it was the car – I was heading to Europe. I thought I had all my stickers pre-prepared, I was feeling very happy. And then I got to the channel tunnel and I put my sticker on the back and it wouldn’t stick because actually the bit I wanted to stick to it was plastic and not metal! So check it with a magnet.
[00:27:46] Matt Sims: That’s a schoolboy error.
[00:27:48] Matt Sims: What did you use? Chewing gum?
[00:27:49] Keith Gooden: No. I went into the shop at the Channel Tunnel and bought more stickers!
[00:27:52] Matt Sims: See, most people just wouldn’t have bothered. Anyway, that’s another story. And then head out for a drive! Go for a good half-hour spin. If anything feels different to how you remember it being at the end of the last season, then go and get it checked out. But those are my top tips for getting a motorhome ready for your first outing.
[00:28:08] Keith Gooden: Yeah, and headlight beam. Just let me mention that. A lot of modern cars have got adjustment from your dashboard, your binnacle. You don’t have to get the sticker. So just double check that your motorhome actually does need the little sticker. Some manufacturers now make your headlights so you can adjust them and you don’t blind pedestrians.
[00:28:27] Matt Sims: That’s right. And oncoming vehicles!
[00:28:28] Keith Gooden: Yeah.
[00:28:29] Matt Sims: So there we are. There’s the list. Now, you can get all of that in one concise document. Just head to www.thatleisureshop.com/spring. It’s an e-book that you can download for free. We just ask for your email address so we can send it to you!
[00:28:48] Keith Gooden: Matt, tell me, what’s the actual risk of using public Wi-Fi, such as if I’m in a cafe?
[00:28:54] Matt Sims: Honestly, it’s bigger than people think. Public Wi-Fi is a goldmine for hackers. They can snoop on what you’re doing, steal your passwords, or even get into your email, or worse, your bank.
[00:29:04] Keith Gooden: Even if I’m just checking the weather or booking a campsite?
[00:29:06] Matt Sims: Yeah, all it takes is one dodgy connection. That’s why I use NordVPN on the road and at home. It encrypts everything so your data is locked up tight, and their Threat Protection Pro blocks malware and scammy websites before they even load.
[00:29:23] Keith Gooden: So it’s doing a lot more than just hiding your location.
[00:29:26] Matt Sims: Yeah, exactly. It’s like a digital deadlock for your devices. It runs in the background. No faff and no slowing you down.
[00:29:32] Keith Gooden: Okay. Where do people go to get it?
[00:29:34] Matt Sims: Just head to www.nordvpn.com/motorhomematt, where you’ll get four extra months free. And there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if it’s not for you.
[00:29:45] Keith Gooden: Not bad for a bit of peace of mind.
[00:29:47] Matt Sims: Exactly. Yeah, it’s a no-brainer.
[00:29:50] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:29:52] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:29:53] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe. It’s time for our Q&A, the questions and answers. You asked the questions. Matt, he answers them. And if he doesn’t know the answer, he’ll ask somebody who does! David Carroll got in touch.
[00:30:09] David Carroll: Good morning Matt. Hope you’re feeling well after your operation. You said the other day that the air suspension with the £200 discount is about £1,000. I spoke to the people and they’re quoting me over £2,000. I have a Bailey 2014 Peugeot motorhome. Thank you.
[00:30:29] Keith Gooden: Okay, Matt, he’s taking issue with you there.
[00:30:33] Matt Sims: Rightly so. I’ve cost him £1,000 more than I said. In actual fact – David, you’re right to check this – the company that I was referring to is a company called Airide run by Gary. It’s Airide with one R. There are lots of companies out there offering air suspension at a range of prices, with all sorts of different features. Gary does recall speaking to somebody who’d asked about air suspension on their Bailey Adamo, and he also quoted £500 for their air levelling system as well. Now, their Adamo price is £1495 retail, plus the £500 is two grand. So it’s worth double-checking the specifics of what you’re being quoted for. Airide suspension on a Fiat Ducato, I recall, is £1295, so it is – with the Motorhome Matt discount – about a grand. But just quote Motorhome Matt to Airide with one R and they will apply a £200 discount. It is an absolute game-changer and something I would suggest is very much worth fitting to your motorhome.
[00:31:31] Keith Gooden: Okay, David, hope you enjoy that answer. By the way, if you are recording stuff for us or writing to us, tell us where you are in the country. We’re not trying to track you down. Don’t worry! This is not a government plot. We just like to put a little pin in a map to see who we’re reaching and where they are. Karen Brierley got in touch.
[00:31:48] Karen Brierley: Good morning Matt. We met at the caravan show yesterday. We were the couple who advised you about the removable stickers for the German emissions sticker. As you may have gathered, we are going to Germany this year to the FICC Rallye and it’s come up on our group chat that anybody travelling to Germany needs a gas certificate for their gas system in the motorhome or caravan. I’ve asked a friend in the Netherlands and he says it only applies to German caravans registered in Germany. I wonder if you can clarify or throw any more light on it for us, please. We’d be very grateful for anything that you can tell us. Thanks very much.
[00:32:28] Keith Gooden: Karen, thanks very much for the question. So, yeah, does she need to buy a German gas certificate or does it just apply to German-registered vehicles?
[00:32:39] Matt Sims: So the gas certificate, called a G607, does only apply to German-registered vehicles. It was introduced on the 19th of June, 2025. German citizens with a German-registered vehicle are required under DVGW to have a G607 gas inspection.
[00:32:58] Keith Gooden: DVGW?
[00:32:59] Matt Sims: I don’t know what DVGW stands for. It’s a German organisation.
[00:33:03] Keith Gooden: Deutsche…
[00:33:09] Matt Sims: Something… I don’t know. I’m not even going to guess. If you know, let us know. But what’s interesting is that they legally require you to have a gas inspection every two years. So we’ve been talking about whether it is worth getting a habitation check. The law there now is you have to have a gas check every two years, and often campsites and places you might visit, fuel stations, for example, will ask to see the G607. So as a non-German citizen in a British motorhome, you are exempt. You don’t need to have this certificate. My advice, though, is if you’ve got a hab check with a gas safety inspection with it, then take it because there’s nothing to stop the campsite asking to see yours. Even though it’s a British motorhome, and if you present them with a habitation check, then they’ll look at that and go, yeah, you’re safe to come onto our campsite.
[00:33:56] Keith Gooden: Yeah. And German jobsworths – they’ve got a special name, haven’t they? Jobsvorth. There you go, Karen. So you don’t need one if you’re registered in this country. Russ is in Wirral. Hi, Matt. We’re looking to buy a van. It started with the idea of a tent box, which escalated to a T6 camper. But now it’s gone further, as we want to be able to travel to Europe for a month or so. And I’m old enough not to want to be doubled over when making a cup of tea. So now it’s six-metre vans we’re looking at. One of the options we’ve looked at is a gas-free van, so it would have lithium batteries, a decent inverter and solar panels. I think it’s probably a new concept and was wondering what your thoughts were. So can you help us?
[00:34:42] Matt Sims: It is a recent innovation to be gas-free. I think it’s become possibly quite a trend as well because gas is a fossil fuel, so it’s seen as not environmentally friendly, which it’s not. And post-pandemic, we have seen more and more gas-free campervans being built and promoted. There are, of course, other power options to gas electricity, although it’s not very good at heating. Diesel is great at running the heating. You can even get diesel-powered hobs. Not quite sure what your food tastes like, but diesel certainly is an option as an alternative, coupled with electricity for everything else. But people say gas doesn’t have a future. But I’ve said that. I think it does. I think gas will have a future. Calor are still investing in their renewable gas, which we’ve done an episode on called What’s Happening to Calor Gas. We released it in February 2024, so it’s nearly two years ago that they started innovating this, and they’re continuing to invest in it. So go and check that out because it is interesting. And that is a completely environmentally friendly non-fossil fuel gas. And if that becomes mainstream, then that certainly gives gas a future. So is it a good idea? If electricity and diesel work for you, then perhaps it is. Is it a bad idea to have gas? No, I don’t think it is. Refillable gas bottles are getting harder to refill. The refill points are becoming fewer and farther between. Motorhome dealerships are starting to install them, but many fuel stations are removing them in lieu of EV charge points, which of course is the mainstream.
[00:36:15] Keith Gooden: But also when you’re in Europe, they have a different sort of gassiness, don’t they, than we have in this country.
[00:36:22] Matt Sims: That’s the garlic.
[00:36:22] Keith Gooden: So you mentioned Calor Gas for this country, which is strange, because calor is Spanish.
[00:36:30] Matt Sims: It’s a British product.
[00:36:30] Keith Gooden: But it’s a British product. But when you go to the continent, gas is handled in different ways.
[00:36:34] Matt Sims: If you go into the continent, a refillable bottle or refillable tank is the way forward. A safe, filled bottle. A bottle like that, where you remove it to fill it. You’re not allowed to do that in Belgium. They will stop you doing it. And often French filling stations may stop you doing it as well. I’ve been stopped, so I speak from firsthand experience. A refillable tank may be an option. You do need adaptors, though, for the autogas refill point. Because there are different in different countries. Really annoying.
[00:36:59] Keith Gooden: And we must say as well that you mentioned diesel, you know, for your hub and stuff like that. You made a joke. Don’t know what it’s going to taste like. But we’ve got to say that the products that they make for diesel-powered hobs and such like are fabulous products, aren’t they? And it’s not as though you’re going outside and going… it’s none of that nonsense going on.
[00:37:17] Matt Sims: It was Peter Rosenthal, the journalist, who told me about them. I thought he was joking, but no, he’s used them for years and loves them. And they are very, very effective. So do some more research into this, and then just choose the best system that fits for you.
[00:37:29] Keith Gooden: How do people get in touch?
[00:37:30] Matt Sims: We would love it if you did. And I always say, if you have a question, I guarantee there’s thousands of other people thinking, oh, I wish I’d asked that. Go to mhmp.info/askmatt. You can record the question by clicking the orange button, or you can fill in the form and we’ll read it for you.
[00:37:45] Keith Gooden: If you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
[00:37:53] Matt Sims: And if you’re listening, please follow on your favourite podcast app, or if you’re watching, click subscribe and that little bell.
[00:38:00] Keith Gooden: And I’ve got a friend. Just the one. How do I share?
[00:38:04] Matt Sims: We would love it if you would help spread the word of the podcast. If you know someone you think would find this useful, entertaining or fun, please share it with them and tell them about it.
[00:38:16] Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
